The Express

I love watching football! This weekend, Sr. Briana and I went to see the movie, "The Express." It is about the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy- an award given to the most outstanding college football player each year. His name was Ernie Davis. He went to Syracuse University from 1959-1962. He overcame so many odds and prejudices in his experiences growing up in Pennsylvania and New York and when he started college. Yet, he knew how important it was to be true to himself and use the gifts God had given him. I was very inspired. Growing up, he was very nervous about speaking and reading in front of people and often stuttered, but throughout the movie, he was put in situations where he had to stand up for himself, use his voice and his actions to help people become aware of the way they were judging him and others because of the color of their skin. During 2 games in particular, fans threw all kinds of things onto the field because he was playing, and the coach pulled him out for fear about a riot if he scored a touchdown. He even had to sleep in a dingy, awful room with cots when his team made it to the national championship game because he was black. Yet, he persevered, hang tough,and showed the world that it is what is inside that matters! He made people believe in him. His teammates trusted him, cared about him, and went to bat for him because of his integrity. It really made me think about my ability to persevere in the midst of judgement on the part of others towards me. Can I live with integrity- truly being the person God is calling me to be, even if people might judge me or not understand? Wow- what an inspiration! (And it didn't hurt that my favorite college team is Syracuse! Go, Orangemen!) If you get a chance, you should see the movie!